India launches own Wikipedia in local languages

Summary:Called Vikaspedia, the portal is part of the government's efforts to make information more accessible. For a start, It has data on health, agriculture, education, social welfare, energy and e-governance.

The Indian government has rolled out an online information guide called Vikaspedia, inspired by Wikipedia, focusing on localized data and in local languages, according to PTI.

"Vikaspedia is part of democratisation of information. Earlier, for some information people had to pay but now most of it will be made available for which they don't have to pay," J. Satyanarayana, Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY), said in the report.

For a start, the portal can be accessed in five languages including English and has information on health, agriculture, education, social welfare, energy and e-governance. Its scope will gradually be expanded and will eventually be accessible in all 22 official Indian languages.

India launches Vikaspedia, a Wikipedia-style information portal in local languages and with localized content.

The aim of the project is to connect different strata of society, empower people and initiating large scale collaborations to drive social welfare programs, according to TechinAsia.

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